Welcome to UNIT 21.2
PREVIOUSLY: In Unit 21.1, we discussed about the various ways of teaching the
sub topic “Analysing information from the media” in Form One.
IN THIS UNIT 21.2, we will
cover the sub topic “"Writing friendly letters" in
Form One.
TOPIC’S INFORMATION
Main Topic:
WRITING PERSONAL LETTERS
Sub Topic: Writing
friendly letters
Periods per sub topic: 8
Class: Form One
DESCRIPTION OF THE SUB TOPIC
Letters are still important even during this digital age. No job is given
without writing a letter. Even friendly letters are still important. We can
write letters to our fellow workmates, or to our far friends to greet them or
to inform them on certain important thing.
Everyone
likes to be cared or remembered that's why we all love letters from our relatives,
friends and other fellows we have met in our life. Letters from friends can
make friendship even stronger. Likewise, letters from relatives make you feel
closer to your relatives.
If
you want to receive a letter, you should start by sending letters to others!
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON
In this sub topic/lesson, the student should be able
to write personal letters.
- TEACHER’S PREPARATION STAGE
This stage is about the preparation of the teacher
before undertaking the lessons of the particular sub topic. These are all
activities, procedures, materials, teaching aids, and games prepared by the
teacher for teaching a sub topic:
- Putting heads together: Introducing the topic/lesson properly.
Organising how students will be able to get to know what is the
topic/lesson about. It is where teacher makes sure that students are going
to be in his/her train. It includes brainstorming and familiarisation of
the topic/lesson with the students.
This
makes students stay together with the teacher. It is at this stage students can
understand what is going to be discussed in the particular topic.
In this sub topic/lesson, the teacher has to guide students to brainstorm on important aspects
of the sub topic/lesson such as meaning of letter and friendly/personal letter
among other things.
- Preparation of Materials. A teacher has to decide on the teaching/learning
materials he/she is going to use.
In this sub topic/lesson, a teacher will have to prepare a variety of models of personal
letters.
- Target Practice. Show them/Guide them to the practice of the
functions of the sub topic. A teacher has to show or guide students to the
target practice of the grammatical functions of the sub topic.
In this sub topic/lesson, the teacher will guide students to practice how to write personal
letters by using some important steps and terms considered when writing
personal letters such as:
Seat mother/father/friend/uncle
Hi dad, mum.
Hi aunt Liza,
Loving
daughter
Your
loving......
Missing you.
- Context-Based Practice. A teacher leads students to the discussion on
how the target grammatical functions practised earlier can be applied or
integrated into the contexts and situations. The students are guided by
the teacher to apply the learnt skills in relevant contexts and situations
like school and library.
In this sub topic/lesson, the teacher will apply the context of the class, school, and home as
he/she practices with students how to write personal letters.
To be
more realistic, the teacher may ask students to come with their letters they
wrote to or received from friends or relatives. They have to bring the letters
that they are willing to share with others. These shared letters can bring more
realistic activities to students.
- Vocabulary Building Practice. At this time, teacher discusses with the
students on the vocabularies and phrases to apply in the already mentioned
contexts and situations.
In this sub topic/lesson, the most commonly applied vocabularies are: aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, grandmother, grandfather, grandparent,
envelope, stamp, post, homesick, John Hamisi, Joyce.
- TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCEDURES,
ACTIVITIES AND GAMES
Guide the students to the full lesson procedures,
activities and games for better understanding of the sub topic by following
these activities:
ACTIVITY ONE: Brainstorming. The
teacher has to brainstorm with the students on the sub topic/lesson's aspects
through oral questions with answers, pair works, and group discussions of all
important concepts to get students on track.
In this activity, the teacher
will have to brainstorm with students the things required when writing a
friendly letter. Because students have brought some sample letters from home,
here the teacher's task will be to brainstorm with students on the things and
steps they need to write a friendly letter. Later in this lesson, they will
learn how to practically write their own letters by using these steps, format
and appropriate language.
REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITING A FRIENDLY LETTER
The following are the requirements for writing a friendly
letter:
1. Choose a friend you want to write a letter to.
This might a friend you haven't seen each other for a
long time or just a special person you want to talk to through a letter. Also
you may just want to write to pen pal friend.
2. Gather the ideas to be included in your letter.
You can list ideas you want to share with your friend.
These are the details you need to write your letter. Some of these ideas can
be:
Tell your friend what's on your mind.
Describe something to your friend.
Ask your friend some questions.
Tell your friend some important moments you had.
Share a good story with your friend.
Inform your friend about your plans, etc.
3. Write a letter (the new one that isn't a reply)
You can choose any idea listed above and write a
letter about it to your friend.
4. Write a reply letter if you are just writing back
to your friend.
If you are just replying to a letter you received, you
can follow the same procedure and answer the questions your friend asked or
share another thing with him/her.
5. Improve your letter by editing it.
We always make mistakes and we can't trust the first
material. So you need to revise your letter so as it looks good. Check your
grammar and spellings. The letter with bad grammar and misspelt words will be
boring to your friend.
6. Address the letter on the envelope.
Make sure you fold your letter properly so that it
neatly fit into your envelope. Write the address clearly and correctly on your
envelope so as it reaches its destination well.
7. If necessary, include a P.S. Comment after
finishing the letter.
ACTIVITY TWO: Teacher's Demonstration. Teacher applies his/models or examples so as to bring the topic/lesson
and the students into the real or common sense of the topic/lesson.
In this
activity,
the teacher has to demonstrate how to write friendly letters to students.
This
is perfectly done by guiding students to study the format of personal letters by
using teacher’s model letters.
THE FORMAT OF
FRIENDLY LETTER
The
most common structure or format of friendly letter involves five (5) important
parts which are:
1. The heading
2. The
salutation
3. The body
4. Closing
5. Signature
In
some other formats, a friendly letter has the following parts.
1. Sender's
address.
It's written in a straight or diagonal form on the top right corner of the
letter.
2. Date. It's written
on the right-hand side below sender's address.
3. Salutation. The opening
of the letter. It's mostly 'Dear' or
'Dear' plus a name of the receiver
like Dear Asha. This salutation is
extended by other structures like 'How
are you doing' etc.
4. Main body. It's where
the information or purpose of the letter is conveyed. It should be in short
paragraphs with simple language.
5. Conclusion. In this
case, the writer ends or concludes the letter with statements like 'I hope we
will meet soon' or 'I hope to hear from you soon' or 'Say hello to everybody
there', etc.
6.
Complimentary close(
closure). It's always a single line with one word that ends with a comma. These
compliments are like 'Yours', 'Your Friend', 'With Love', 'Lots of Love',
etc. After this, two lines are skipped
for writing a signature.
7. Signature. This is
always a first name in friendly letters because it's assumed that friends know
each other. It's not even an autograph. It's a mere name.
8. Name. The full
name after signature is only applied in official letters.
Ask
students to show their letters they wrote to or received from friends sometimes
ago. Maybe all students may not have the letters at their homes, so you may put
them in groups to share the experience of friendly letters together.
Ask
them if they can identify five parts of friendly letters in their letters. Some
of their letters may lack all these parts, but they should be patient because
in the next moment you will explain to them the meanings of each part of
friendly letter and how they are positioned and written in the letter.
MEANINGS OF
PARTS OF A FRIENDLY LETTER
After
having group discussion on various samples of friendly letters, now a teacher
can introduce the meanings of these parts of friendly letters. These parts have
the following meanings:
The heading. This part
includes writer's address and the date. It's written in the upper right-hand
corner.
The
salutation.
It's a greeting that usually begins with the word 'Dear' and is followed by the
name of the person who will receive the letter.
When
writing this salutation, place a comma after the name. It's written at the
left-hand margin, just two lines below the heading.
The body. The body of
the letter is what contains your thoughts and ideas. Begin writing this body of
letter on the second line after the salutation. The paragraphs in this part
should be short for easy reading.
The closing. For a closing
your letter, write it two lines below the body of the letter. Capitalise only
the first letter/word and follow it with a comma.
The signature. The signature
is written under the closing of the letter. This is just like the signature
they sign in various school forms although here they are just needed to write
their first name.
The
teacher can now go on presenting his/her sample to students so that they can
cement their understanding before they practice for themselves.
MODEL FRIENDLY
LETTER 1
A LETTER TO A
FRIEND
Karema
Secondary School,
P.O.
Box 155,
Mpanda.
22nd
February, 2017
Dear
Marry,
How
are you? Do you like your new school? Bakari and I are in Form IA at Karema
Secondary School. It's not far from our village. It's a good school. We like
it! We do a lot of reading and writing. We talk English all day. It's not easy
but we enjoy it. I'm working hard and Bakari is working hard too. Do you like
your new school? Will you write to me and tell me about it?
Say
hello to your brother Jacob.
Love,
Elia
Questions:
A. Answer each
question with one word.
1. Who wrote
the letter?
2. Who is she
writing to?
3. Which
school is Elia at?
4. What is the
name of Elia's brother?
5. What is the
name of Marry's brother?
B. Write out
the questions and then complete the answers. One word in each space.
1. Which
school does Elia go to?
Elia is at
..... ....... .......
2. Is his
bother at the same school?
Yes, his
bother Baraka is......the .......school.
3. Do they
like their new school?
Yes, they
.....it.
4. Do they do
a lot of reading and writing?
Yes, they do a
lot of .......and......
5. Do they
speak Kiswahili when they are at school?
No,
they...... .........when they are at
school.
ACTIVITY THREE: Students' Demonstration. Showing students how models like that of a teacher can be applied by
them. Here students need to be guided on how to use given expressions,
structures, vocabulary, and phrases or similar ones.
In this activity, the students
in groups to demonstrate how to write friendly letters by using the above discussed
formats and model letters.
ACTIVITY FOUR: More Students’ Practice. Taking/leading students to the real situations or contexts where they
can apply what they have mastered. Here speaking, reading or writing activities
are involved.
In this activity, students have
to practice writing meaningful letters to different members of their family and
friends.
MODEL FRIENDLY LETTER 2
Karema
Secondary School,
P.O.
Box 155,
Mpanda.
22nd
February, 2017
Dear
.........,
Hello
my mum! How are you doing? I hope everyone is fine there. My studies are going
well. Teachers especially Teacher Simon misses you so much. They remember you
the day you brought me here at first time. They say you are very vivacious.
I
would like to ask for the permission and some money. I want go to Aunt Maria
during holiday. I won’t spend the whole holiday there. I will stay for two
weeks and i will finish other two weeks there at home.
Will
you allow me and send some money for me?
Say
Hi to everyone at home! Tell Asha to study hard for the next Standard IV exams.
I will bring her some crops!
Lots
of Love
Ashura
 |
| Image credit: http://lettermaster.site/letter/friendly-letter-envelope-format/ 14/07/2018 |
ACTIVITY FIVE: Winding up the topic/lesson. Here teachers summarise the topic/lesson by emphasizing the importance
of the sub topic/lesson and suggesting other related aspects of the sub
topic/lesson.
ADDITIONAL
ACTIVITY:
As a teacher, what other activity can be applied in this sub topic/lesson? You
can always drop your alternative activity or activities to this article so as
to improve teaching and learning of ‘O’
Level English Blog! (OLE).
REFLECTION
Our life is made successful with writing. Letters are
important in our daily life as they play a great role both in our life careers
and social lives. So, everyone should be used to the letters.
Ask students how they get greetings from their friends
and relatives. Actually, some students will say they even write to their
parents or grandparents or others. At school, they will say they get them from
classmates, friends and from other fellows they meet apart from school life.
ASSESSMENT
A teacher should design an evaluation for students by
using appropriate assessment tools like oral questions or assignments so that
to see if the student is able to write friendly letters.
ASSESSMENTS
Assessment
#01: Group work
Set
considerable number of groups and allow your students to write friendly
letters. These groups should write each other on either a guided topic or on
free topic. These letters should be presented before the class.
Assessment
#02: Pair works
Guide
students to form familiar pairs, that's, the pair should just consists of two
familiar friends who should write the friendly letter to one familiar pair as
well. There should be equal number of pairs so that they can match. If one pair
doesn't match, the teacher can join one pair.
Assessment
#03: Individual work
Lastly,
each individual student should write a friendly letter to the classmate,
schoolmate, parents, teacher or a relative and submit to the teacher.
Other
Important Terms of Friendly letters
P.S. It's written
at the end of the letter if you have already finished your letter and then remembers
something you forgot to say in the letter. Thus, you should add a P.S.
(postscript) at the bottom of letter right under your signature.
For
example,
P.S.
Write back soon!
R.S.V.P
Comment
is also written at the end of your letter to ask for an answer for your letter
especially if you want to know whether or not the person you sent a letter will
be coming to your event. It's written in the lower left-hand corner. It's
mostly applied in invitations and it is followed by the phone number.
For
example,
R.S.V.P.
0766414541
UFS
UFS
is an abbreviation that means 'Under First Signature'. It means the letter
should be routed through head of certain department. For example,
U.F.S:
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Mpanda.
In
Kiswahili letters, we normally use the abbreviations 'K.K' meaning 'Kupitia
Kwa', that's, through a person or department that is also responsible for
responding or reviewing the specific letter.
Note: You can give
students more individual works, pair works, and group works to facilitate their
interaction and understanding of the sub topic or lesson. As English language
teacher you have to give students more works to do. Because language is meant
to be largely spoken and written, the teacher should rely on written exercises
and notes. Instead students have to learn English language by vigorously
exercising individually, in pairs, and in groups.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
Writing is a productive skill. After learning all four
language skills during teaching and learning processes, finally the students
will have to sit down and write the final exams. This highlights that writing
is the necessary skill if a student really wants to excel in the final
examinations. A teacher should emphasize this skill just he/she emphasize other
language skills.
Letter writing on the other hand, is the extremely
important professional and life career skill that every student should
seriously take into consideration. Writing good friendly letters is a good
foundation for mastery of other forms of letters like official letters. More
practices on writing friendly letters will give students more confidence, boost
their language, and letter writing skills as well.
NOTE: These stages explained
above are not necessarily covered in a single lesson of single or double
period. Remember that this is the guide for teaching the whole sub topic which
has periods ranging from 6 to 20. So, the teacher's task is to divide these
stages according to the total number of periods for a particular sub topic.
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WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?
This
article is about how to study and teach “Writing friendly letter" in Form One. As a student or teacher, what
is your opinion on how to study and teach this sub topic/lesson?
Your
opinion is worth and I believe that it can make these materials better for our
own consumption.
You are Welcome!
Resources
Kemper, Dave et all (1995) WRITERS EXPRESS: A Handbook for YOUNG WRITERS, THINKERS, AND
LEARNERS, D.C. Heath and Company,
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